November 22, 2011
Two St. John’s alumnae returned to the University to speak to
students about their experiences in The Department of Biological Sciences and
their current pursuit of doctoral degrees at Brown
University.
The duo, Victoria Ruiz ‘07C and Tania
Nevers ‘07C, ‘08G, were invited back to campus by
Christopher Bazinet, Ph.D., Associate
Professor, Biological Sciences and Director of Graduate
Studies, as part of an innovative new program created by
faculty from St. John’s and Brown. “Through this program, our
Biological Sciences students will have a unique opportunity to
collaborate with Brown faculty on research,” said Dr. Bazinet.
These students will also have an extraordinary opportunity to spend
a summer in Providence, RI working in a research lab at Brown.
Dr. Bazinet keeps regular contact with many of his former students
and thought of Victoria and Tania as ideal ambassadors for the
program. “I knew that the undergrads could learn a great deal from
Victoria and Tania and would have a lot of questions for them about
their dissertations and life at Brown,” said Dr. Bazinet.
Victoria, a Brooklyn native, visited St. John’s as a high school
student and it was love at first sight. “I came here for a science
expo to see St. John’s students present their work,” she said. “As
soon as I set foot on campus, I knew I wanted to be here.”
Tania’s path to St. John’s took her directly to the Admissions
Office, where she filled out her application and submitted forms in
person while visiting nearby relatives. “I was on the Q46 bus and
we were passing by St. John’s,” said the native of Jamaica. “I had
all my paperwork with me, so I got off, went to admissions and
filled out a few forms and that was it.”
An Outstanding Support System
While the pair took two very different paths to St. John’s, they
soon became a part of the tight-knit community within Biological
Sciences and became friends. “Tania and I were in the same
biomedical science program, so we did research together and we
presented together,” said Victoria. “We were also both part of the
IMSD program.” The Initiative for Minority Student
Development (IMSD) is a program that was created to give students a
start in biomedical research.
Victoria and Tania spoke with current Biological Sciences students
over lunch at the Faculty Club about their experiences at St.
John’s, the challenges they’ve faced inside and outside of the lab
and transitioning to life at Brown. “It’s so quiet up there,” said
Victoria. “I grew up in Brooklyn, so it took a while for me to get
used to life in Providence.”
The conversation circled back to the subject of St. John’s, as the
two have particularly fond memories of their time in Queens and
their relationships with various professors. “The support system
here is great,” said Victoria. “The professors try to develop the
students from the ground up to become whatever they want to become
– whether it’s a research scientist or a medical doctor.”
Tania agrees with this notion. “The biology program at St. John’s
has a small and intimate setting, so you really get to know
everyone,” she said. “You don’t get lost in the crowd and you
really get more attention in a small setting.”
Prepared for Success
Julia
Upton, RSM, Ph.D., Provost of St. John’s University,
was delighted to have the alumnae back on campus to meet with
current students. “We’re extremely proud of Tania and Victoria and
all that they’ve accomplished,” said Dr. Upton. “They are
outstanding role models for our current students and our
alumni.”
In the coming months, their experiences as graduate students at
Brown will peak as they both stand to defend their doctoral
dissertations. Victoria’s dissertation focuses on bacteria that
cause cancer in the stomach. “Only two percent of people infected
with the bacteria will get cancer, even though they are infected
with it,” said Victoria. Her goal is find out why only this two
percent will get cancer.
Tania’s dissertation involves a particular T-cell population within
the immune system and the role it plays in adverse pregnancies,
such as gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia.
As they prepare, Victoria and Tania are confident in knowing that
St. John’s provided them with a solid foundation upon which to
build. “I took all my biology courses here and all my organic
chemistry courses, too,” said Victoria. “This was the basis for
everything I am now and everything I have now.” Tania added “I
couldn’t even begin a doctoral program without knowing the roots of
science. St. John’s taught me everything I needed to get where I am
today.”
Both Tania and Victoria have long-term goals of returning
academia one day. Victoria, who will soon begin her postdoctoral
studies at New York University, knows exactly where she wants to
teach. “The ultimate goal would be to come back to St.
John’s,” she said. “I’d love to have my own lab and do the research
that I’ve always wanted to do at the campus that I love so
much.”